The Ten Best Lip Sync For Your Life Performances on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

RuPaul’s Drag Race returned for its eighth season this week, with it’s 100th episode to boot. Across those 100 episode, we’ve gotten just as many Lip Sync For Your Life performances. Every episode, the two queens up for elimination must perform a head-to-head lip sync to see who gets to stick around another week. As you can imagine, things get INTENSE. In celebration of the show’s return, we picked the ten best LSFYL performances of all time. From the sickening to the sublime, these performances helped make Drag Race TV’s best reality show.

Jessica Wild vs. Tatiana (Season 2)

Song: “He’s the Greatest Dancer,” by Sister Sledge

Tatiana was season 2’s designated villain. She was annoying, she was young, she had a persecution complex, and her greatest talent — her fishiness, a.k.a. her ability to pass for a girl — felt more like blessed genetics than anything she really had to work for. Jessica Wild, meanwhile, was just beginning to crest as a real threat to win. But this lip sync proved you just never know. Jessica was a bit too manic (though it’s a joy to watch her flail around as if possessed by a jazz-hansdy demon), while Tatiana delivered a controlled and sexy performance.

India Ferrah vs. Mimi Imfurst (Season 3)

Song: “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” by Thelma Houston

“Best” drag? Maybe not. …Okay, definitely not. “Most Memorable” drag, though? Most definitely. This performance would have been a long-forgotten face-off between two queens who were never going to go far if it weren’t for Mimi’s fool idea to lift India into an airplane spin. India’s panicked reaction is funny, and even though part of me thinks India should have gone home for losing her composure, it’s tough to argue with Mama Ru’s reprimand that “drag is not a contact sport.”

Delta Work vs. Manila Luzon (Season 3)

Song: “Macarthur Park,” by Donna Summer

The art of the melancholy lip-sync hadn’t been perfected until Manila and Delta — friends forced to face off against each other — took on the Donna Summer classic. But while Delta (in a hideous bikini shirt that is the only blemish on this superb performance) merely mellowed out, Manila went ALLLLLL the way over the top, to the point where she even scared Michelle Visage. Which takes a LOT to do.

Dida Ritz vs. The Princess (Season 4)

When the late Natalie Cole passed away earlier this year, among the best remembrances of her life and career was actually this moment, when she sat on the Drag Race judging panel and watched Dida Ritz enthusiastically slay “This Will Be” in high style. What Dida sometimes lacked in polish she more than made up for in runway verve, and this moment was no exception. By the time Dida and Natalie get to calling-and-responding, it’s all over.

Kenya Michaels vs. Latrice Royale (Season 4)

Song: “Natural Woman,” by Aretha Franklin

Some LSFYL performances are killer because both queens totally nail it. But others are great because one queen totally gets it and one queen totally doesn’t, and it’s a massacre on the runway. Such was the case with poor Kenya Michaels, whose hyperactive balletics during Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” made her look insane, all the moreso next to Latrice, who was giving Madonna-and-child realness with an achingly emotional lip sync. Latrice also gets bonus points for pulling this one off a week after slaying the hell out of a gladys Knight number.

Jujubee vs. Raven (All-Stars)

Song: “Dancing On My Own,” by Robyn

The queen of all emo lip-syncs, besties Raven and Jujubee were forced to face off against one another, with the loser being eliminated at the last possible moment before the finale. What resulted was a far more hyperventilating affair than anyone was expecting, really. It sure did the trick, though, as RuPaul declared that no one could possibly be eliminated after both queens left it all on the floor like that. (Both queens were effectively eliminated in the finale anyway.)

Alyssa Edwards vs. Roxxxy Andrews (Season 5)

Song: “Whip My Hair,” by Willow Smith

Roxxy Andrews was a huge pill in her season, just full of bile about everybody but her designated besties and green with envy any time anyone else got a compliment. She was also seemingly uninterested in the performative aspects of drag, seemingly of the belief that good drag is good makeup and that’s all. Which is what made this particular lip-sync so phenomenal, because Roxxxy (and Alyssa, it should be said) killed it, starting with the visual majesty of pulling off one wig … with ANOTHER WIG UNDERNEATH. A runway stunt that has possibly never been topped.

Alyssa Edwards vs. Coco Montrese (Season 5)

Song: “Cold Hearted,” by Paula Abdul

Pageant enemies Coco and Alyssa spent half of season 5 sniping at each other, and their rivalry couldn’t have ended any other way but on the runway, and to a most appropriate Paula Abdul song besides. The best part is that both queens absolutely slayed it, from tight syncs to swirling arms to a leaping split.

Detox vs. Jinkx Monsoon (Season 5)

Song: “Malambo No. 1,” by Yma Sumac

One of my biggest criticisms of drag race is that by making Lip Sync For Your Life a task only for the bottom two competitors, we sometimes get shortchanged when it comes to the seasons’ best queens. Jinkx Monsoon was so good at challenges this season that she only had to lip sync once … and she certainly delivered when she got there. It was not hard to put her signature comedic spin on this over-the-top aria, and although Detox was fantastic competition, she was dead in the water.

Katya vs. Kennedy Davenport (Season 7)

Song: “Roar,” by Katy Perry

Poor Katya. Easily the most popular and funniest of the season 7 queens, she just ran into the brick wall that is Kennedy Davenport on the runway. Kennedy’s lip-sync skills were second to none last season, and she used her acrobatics to slay Katya at this most crucial stage. But it was not without a fight, as Katya went split-for-split with Kennedy right up til the very end.